1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical device capable of performing both argon plasma coagulation and electrocautery in open and minimally invasive surgery.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Controlling or arresting blood loss is of high priority during surgery so as to avoid or minimize the necessity of introducing foreign blood or blood products into a patient. This has increased in importance due to concern over contamination of the blood supply by viral agents which cause, for example, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis, and the like.
Standard means for controlling traumatic and surgical blood loss are electrosurgical generators and lasers, which respectively direct high-frequency electrical currents or light energy to localize heat in bleeding vessels so as to coagulate the overlying blood and vessel walls.
Argon beam coagulators additionally have been demonstrated to be effective tissue coagulators. Examples of argon beam coagulators for use in open surgery can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,426 to Morrison and U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,175 to McGreevy. Argon beam coagulators for use rigid and flexible endoscopy also are known. An example of a device for flexible endoscopy may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,675 to the present inventor. In some embodiments in that patent, the inventor disclosed dual modality devices that could be used either for argon plasma coagulation or for traditionally electrocautery in an endoscopic environment. The inventor also disclosed an embodiment having the dual modality of argon plasma coagulation and endoscopic biopsy forceps. In that embodiment, argon plasma coagulation could be used by a surgeon while the biopsy forceps were withdrawn inside the flexible endoscopic tube. The biopsy forceps could then be extended and used, but argon plasma coagulation was not performed with the biopsy forceps extended from the end of the tube.
Various electrodes for use in monopolar electrosurgery have been known for many years. Examples of such various electrodes are spatula electrodes, spoon electrodes, ball tip electrodes, hook electrodes and flat blade electrodes. Such electrodes have functioned well and been useful, but they, along with many of the argon plasma coagulation devices referenced above, have suffered from the drawback of surgeons not be able to rapidly switch from performing electrocautery to argon plasma coagulation and back again.
An exception to that limitation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,675, discussed above, which discloses dual modality devices for endoscopic surgery. Those device include structure for retracting an electrocautery wire or tool such as forceps inside a flexible tube so that argon plasma coagulation may be performed. To revert to traditional electrosurgery, the surgeon can extend the wire or tool outside the tube for touching the tissue. While the devices of this patent function well and are very useful, particularly for electrocautery wires, forceps, snares, needles and biopsy tools that are small enough to fit within the small flexible tube, a need exists for dual mode devices that can accommodate somewhat larger electrosurgical tools such as spatulas, balls, hooks and the like.